Foundation Staff And Board

Executive Director

Sara Morris is the Executive Director of the Rocky Mountain Fisher House Foundation with responsibility for overall management of the organization which includes fundraising, marketing, budgeting, public speaking and community outreach. Sara grew up in a military family. Her grandfather served in the Army, her Father served in the Navy and her brother is currently serving in the Navy. Sara is also the founder and owner of StoryCatchers Media, a video production company. Since starting her company, she has won two Emmy Awards and a Telly Award for her work. Her background is in television news where she worked as an award winning journalist for 15-years all over the country reporting and anchoring the news.

Board President

Lee Staab is a retired US Army officer and engineer. Over the course of his 27+ years or service, he had the privilege of commanding and serving with thousands of veterans. While in Europe, he oversaw the construction of the Fisher House in Landstuhl, Germany. After retiring from the military in 2006, Lee worked with the Department of Defense as a civilian contractor, spending more than 7 years working in Iraq and Afghanistan. Following his return to the United States, Lee continued his public service career serving as the City Manager for Minot, North Dakota and most recently as the County Manager for Grand County, Colorado. Lee is a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point. He also has a Master’s Degree in Engineering from the University of Illinois, an Executive Business Degree from Harvard Business School and a Master’s Degree in International Relations from the United States Army War College. He is married to his bride, Wanda, and they have 4 children and 14 grandchildren. He is looking forward to continuing to serve veterans and families as a member of the Rocky Mountain Fisher House Foundation Board of Directors.

Board Vice President

David Kotwasinski served in the US Navy as a Cryptologic Technician (Collections) and separated in 2015 at the rank of Petty Officer 2nd Class. After the Navy, he served as a volunteer Board Member for the Friends of Fisher House Illinois Chapter for two years. Prior to the Navy, David earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Colorado at Boulder and a master’s in public administration from Governor’s State University in Illinois. He is still employed in the public sector, as a Management Analyst at the South Suburban Park and Recreation District. In his free time, David enjoys volunteering at the Humane Society of South Platte Valley, participating in the Centennial “Millennial” Rotary Club, hiking, and climbing. David currently resides in Denver.

Board Treasurer

Shan Burchenal is the Treasurer for Rocky Mountain Fisher House and is also the Director, Compensation & amp; Benefits for Red Robin Gourmet Burgers, Inc. Red Robin is a 500 restaurant casual dining chain headquartered in Denver, CO. Shan is a seasoned Human Resources professional. She spent 23 years in various management roles with PepsiCo, Inc. Early in her career she worked for The Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve, Schering-Plough, Inc. and FMC Corporation. Shan graduated from Denison University with a BA in Economics and received an MBA from the Amos Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College. Shan and her husband, Caleb, have two grown children and a Golden Retriever. They enjoy hiking and skiing.

Board Secretary

Marc Costain is a retired Marine Corps officer and pilot. During his twenty years of service, he served in various operations leadership and management roles. After transitioning from the military in 2013, Marc became heavily involved in education management, specifically online K-12 education. His roles have included Executive Director and Colorado Director of Operations for several company-managed schools. In 2017, he became a business owner, taking over an architectural model making firm. Marc is a graduate of UCLA and received his masters degree from the Naval Postgraduate School. He is married with three grown children spread out in Florida, Utah and Missouri. He and his family are very grateful to have chosen Colorado as home after bouncing around the globe with the Marines and looks forward to supporting the Fisher House!

Board Member

Chris Bruce is a graduate of Colorado State University. He retired from the Air Force after 20 years where he flew the C-130 and the C-141. Chris then was a pilot at United Airlines for 22 years. He has been based at San Francisco, New York’s JFK, Newark and Denver. He flew the B-727, B-737, B-757, B-767 and the B-777. Chris and his wife Lynn have two daughters and three grandchildren. They live in Denver.

Board Member

Kailey Pukini is an experienced loan officer with a demonstrated history of working in the financial services industry. Before dedicating her time to the facets of home acquisition and ownership, Kailey managed fundraising efforts for the University of Arizona and The University of Denver. At this time, her teams were responsible for raising over 1.5 million for faculty retention and financial aid. She is personally connected to The Fisher House Foundation through her brother who was suddenly hospitalized when based in San Diego, CA. Kailey and her family experienced first hand how beneficial the organization was to military families who were travelling out of the area to care for loved ones. The organization not only provided her with an extended support system, but allowed her and her family to spend their time and energy solely focusing on the recovery of her brother.

Board Member

Nick Cassidy represents businesses in all types of commercial litigation at the Denver office of Polsinelli PC, an AmLaw 100 firm. He has substantial experience in complex litigation and has successfully prosecuted and defended multi-million dollar claims at the trial and appellate levels. While Nick never served in the military, he is keenly interested in military history and deeply respects the sacrifices members of the United States military make every day to serve their country. When offered to serve on the Board of the Rocky Mountain Fisher House Foundation, Nick jumped at the chance, knowing it would be a great opportunity to give something back to service members and their families.

Board Member

Annette Johnson served in the United States Air Force in the Transportation Division, her service included Protocol duties, driving Heads of State and when not engaged in these activities she enjoyed driving 10 Tow Trucks and Tractor Trailers in Alaska. As a disabled veteran and CEO/Founder of her nonprofit organization; she has worked to improve the lives of veterans, socio-economically disadvantaged and disabled individuals for over 20 years.

Annette attended University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Regis University, Denver and University Metaphysics she studied Eastern and Western medicine, has attained a Ph.D., three Masters with certifications in Psychology, Communication, and Leadership, is an Ordained Minister, has a Board Certification as a Pastoral Psychologist, certified Gatekeeper. She is a life member of The American Legion; she currently serves as a Department Jr. Vice Commander, is the Suicide Prevention & Mental Health Chair and collaborates with the Veterans Admin. under the VA&R Team.

Annette lives in Aurora; is a mother and grandmother. She has volunteered her whole life as a veteran advocate and serving her community and she has been a life member of the Disabled American Veterans and the Veterans of Foreign Wars for over 35 years.